Grants available for Newcastle SMEs to access broadband

Business in Newcastle can take advantage of the Government’s “Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme” which offers grants of up to £3,000 to reduce the cost of super-fast internet.

To qualify business fall under the European Commission definition of SME - employing between 1 and 249 people, with an annual turnover not exceeding €50 million.

Those interested can check their eligibility via Newcastle City Council and the Broadband Delivery UK site here.

Farooq Hakim, BT’s North East regional director, said: “This exciting scheme is a vital step forward for small and medium firms in Newcastle. It will allow even more businesses to take advantage of the huge benefits offered by super-fast internet connections

“Businesses can use the technology to boost their competitiveness, work more efficiently, attract new customers or strengthen relationships with existing customers. Every Newcastle firm that switches to faster broadband is good news for the city.”

James Ramsbotham, chief executive of NE Chamber of Commerce, added: “North East Chamber of Commerce members have made business connectivity to superfast broadband one of their top infrastructure priorities in 2014 and so this development is very welcome.”

Newcastle is one of 12 UK cities where the scheme is already available. The others are: Belfast, Bristol, Coventry, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Derby, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Newport, Portsmouth and Salford.

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